A couple of weeks ago I heard an interview with the Godfather of the footballers’ dodgy haircut, the great Kevin Keegan. He talked about the incredible improvement he made in scoring goals after he left Scunthorpe United in the relatively smaller talent pool of Division 3 and joined Liverpool in the extremely competitive Division 1.
His view was that his ability had not changed significantly in the month or so between leaving one team and getting on the field with the next, instead he attributed this marked improvement to the ability of those around him. At Scunthorpe he was surrounded by reasonably talented people who could place the ball roughly where it needed to be. At Liverpool he was surrounded by people who could place the ball exactly where it needed to be. No more having to sprint a bit further to get to the ball, having to manoeuvre the ball away from the side line, or having to recover the ball from the opposition. All Keegan had to do was be in the right place and concentrate on his primary role; to strike at goal. He was remarkably effective at his job. When I heard this, it struck a chord with me. How much energy do people in business expend metaphorically chasing balls that others haven’t quite put in the right place? How much better would we collectively be if the ball landed perfectly at our feet every time? Not every business can attract or afford ‘Premier League’ team members, but can this metaphor help us think differently about how we manage our people? Notwithstanding the challenges of creating business resilience and helping the team to grow, should more time be spent training the team to excel in their primary role and to understand the importance of getting their ball in the right spot every time? What are your thoughts? Is Kevin Keegan sharing an insight that can help us in business, or does this only have relevance on the football field.
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